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New Day
Michael Hancock is Interviewed about Denver ending Mask Mandates; Father James Martin is Interviewed about Covid Deaths; Diver Opens Fire During Road Rage Encounter. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired February 01, 2022 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:31:00]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, Pfizer is expected to seek FDA authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine for children under five as soon as today. A source says federal regulators hope the company's two-dose regimen can be available to children as young as six months by the end of the month. Pfizer will also continue testing a three-dose regimen.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, big news out of Colorado. Denver is dropping its mask mandates and vaccine requirements for indoor spaces starting this Friday. Mandates for schools and childcare facilities will still remain in place.
Joining me now is Denver's mayor, Michael Hancock.
Mayor, thank you so much for being with us.
You said in your announcement that we are at a pivot point in this pandemic. How so?
MAYOR MICHAEL HANCOCK (D), DENVER: Well, first of all, glad to be with you this morning.
You know, it's time for us to begin to manage the sustained presence of this virus and -- amongst us. But that people of Denver have done such a good job in doing what's been asked of them, get vaccinated, get boosted, and begin to practice the kind of behavior knowing that this virus is going to be with us.
We are now 78 percent vaccinated, 40 percent and growing in terms of people being boosted. And we also have a natural immunity from, of course, unfortunately, omicron being around us. and so we -- science, the numbers telling us and the science is telling us it's OK to drop the mask, but make sure you're managing the situation going forward. BERMAN: When you say as part of your announcement you also say we have
to learn to live with it, what exactly does that mean?
HANCOCK: Well, I, again, it's going to be with us for a while. Science tells us that this virus has the potential to stick around. We may have other variants that come out. And as our public health director, Bob McDonald, said yesterday, you know, what omicron showed us is that we're beginning to see kind of the waning of the impact of this virus again because of the number of people who are vaccinated and the number of people who have natural immunity from the omicron. We believe that future variants will continue to be mild or milder than what we saw with omicron.
So, we'll continue to follow the science. We'll continue to follow the data. But we believe we're going to have to have a managed mentality of the virus with us for quite some time. You know, and hopefully it just continues to be maybe similar to a common cold around us and doesn't continue to result in hospitalizations and deaths amongst us as we go forward.
BERMAN: Look, I think this is the most important discussion or such an important discussion, I should say, in terms of where we are in this pandemic. And the way you're talking about it is that you are assessing risk. And you think right now there is an acceptable risk. Going around indoors, unmasked, is an acceptable risk. Not requiring proof of vaccination for indoor venues is an acceptable risk. Correct?
HANCOCK: Yes, you know what, let's -- let's be clear. For two years this has been a very difficult situation for all of us. And this public health emergency is, while not over, we are beginning to see that we have a more manageable situation. While we know more about the virus, and, two, again, the people of Denver and the metro region and the state of Colorado, quite frankly, have done what has been asked of them, where we have gotten that 70 percent or higher in terms of vaccinations and growing numbers of people being boosted. Natural immunity from folks who have contracted the virus include yours truly during the omicron subvariant.
We believe, and the data has shown us, that we can manage the situation going forward. It doesn't mean it's over. We've still got to continue to have a conversation and talk as loudly as we can about the 25 or, you know, percent of folks who have not been vaccinated. They continue to pose a risk to themselves and to everyone around them. But we believe that where we are, the numbers say again, and science tells us, it's OK to drop these masks.
Now, again, I'll repeat this, this emergency is not over. We still must be smart, cautious, wear a mask, if you feel uncomfortable. Try to reduce, you know, real dense crowds, if you can, and be smart about this.
[08:35:06]
But we are making the right moves. Our numbers show us, in terms of hospitalizations, case rates, that we're going in the right direction.
BERMAN: I got to let you run, but you are keeping masks in schools. Why?
HANCOCK: Well, we -- we don't want a situation where we have a large group of young people who have to be quarantined. And we're going to continue to advise and work closely with pediatricians, the state, the school officials, to make the right decision with regards to when to lift the mask order with our children.
But we're going to be smart. We got to protect our children because we still believe that the best and safest place for our children right now is in that classroom. And so we're going to be a little more judicious with regards to our young people.
BERMAN: Mayor Michael Hancock, thanks for being with us this morning.
HANCOCK: Absolutely. Have a great day.
BERMAN: Here's what else to watch today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ON SCREEN TEXT: 1:30 p.m. ET, White House briefing.
2:00 p.m. ET, State Department briefing.
3:30 p.m. ET, Secretary Blinken speaks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, check out this video from Pittsburgh as crews lift a 21-ton bus from the site of last week's bridge collapse. You don't see that every day.
KEILAR: That is amazing.
Plus, a man is denied a lifesaving kidney transplant because he refuses to get vaccinated.
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CHAD CARSWELL, NEEDS KIDNEY TRANSPLANT: There's no telling how much longer I'll still be here. But I have to have a kidney, you know, to prolong my life.
Said, you know, the last thing we need to talk about is your vaccination status. And that's when I politely told them there was nothing really to talk about. It wasn't up for debate. That I wasn't getting it. And then he told me, you know, you know you'll die if you don't get it. And I said, I'm willing to die.
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[08:41:09]
KEILAR: Time now for "5 Things to Know for Your New Day." Advisers to Donald Trump drafted more than one executive order to
seize voting machines during the former president's final weeks in office. There was one for the Pentagon and another for the Department of Homeland Security. And "The New York Times" reports that Trump himself was directly involved.
BERMAN: Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, today amid concerns of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. It comes as the Kremlin says there was a mix-up and that it is still preparing its main reply to the U.S. proposal for de-escalating tensions.
KEILAR: Crews have pulled a 21-ton Port Authority bus from the site of Friday's Pittsburgh bridge collapse. This took about 15 minutes to pull this from the wreckage. One hundred and twenty-five gallons of fuel had to be offloaded from the bus before they were able to lift it out. And an investigation is ongoing to determine why the bridge failed.
BERMAN: Hope those are strong ropes.
A large fire burning overnight at a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Officials are concerned about a potential explosion from ammonia nitrate on site. Thousands of people in the surrounding area have been told to evacuate. Classes at nearby Wake Forest cancelled today.
KEILAR: And "The New York Times" buying the hugely popular word guessing game Wordle that we're like only a little bit obsessed with on this show. The daily word puzzle has gained millions of players in months since its release in October. "The Times" says it bought Wordle for a price in the low seven figures and that the game will initially remain free to play. Initially, John Berman.
BERMAN: Only initially. Wouldn't promise in perpetuity.
All right, those are "5 Things to Know for Your New Day." More on these stories all day on CNN and cnn.com. And don't forget to download the "5 Things" podcast every morning. Go to cnn.com/5things. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.
So, this morning, truly dangerous rhetoric from a Republican candidate for office in Michigan who told people to show up locked and loaded at polling places.
Plus --
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CHAD CARSWELL, NEEDS KIDNEY TRANSPLANT: And then he told me, you know, you know you'll die if you don't get it. And I said, I'm willing to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: What do you say to someone who would rather die than get the Covid vaccine? We're joined next by a priest who may have an answer.
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[08:47:43]
BERMAN: A North Carolina man in need of a lifesaving kidney transplant will not get it because he refuses to be vaccinated. Right now, Chad Carswell's kidneys are only operating at 4 percent capacity, but he says he will die free before getting the Covid shot.
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CHAD CARSWELL, NEEDS KIDNEY TRANSPLANT: There's no telling how much longer I'll still be here, but I have to have a kidney, you know, to prolong my life.
He said, you know, the last thing we need to talk about your vaccination status. And that's when I politely told him there was nothing really to talk about. It wasn't up for debate. That I wasn't getting it. And then he told me, you know, you know you'll die if you don't get it. And I said, I'm willing to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The hospital, in a statement, says the reason it is recommended is to provide protection for the patient. Transplant patients are at high risk for severe illness if they don't have pre- existing immunity prior to being transplanted.
KEILAR: So, what is the right way to respond when someone who refuses to get the lifesaving Covid vaccine ends up dying of Covid? Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest and he is the author of an op-ed in "The New York Times" called, "How Do You Respond When An Anti-Vaxxer Dies Of Covid?" And he's with us now.
How -- just sort of tell us the crux of your op-ed here. How do you respond?
FATHER JAMES MARTIN, AUTHOR, "LEARNING TO PLAY": Well, the point of the op-ed is so say that we all have very conflicting emotions when that happens. There' a sense of frustration. Sometimes even satisfaction. But I think we can't give into these emotions because it's really not a moral choice to celebrate someone's death.
KEILAR: You say basically in this context, schadenfreude is immoral. Don't find another person's misery the subject of mirth, glee or satisfaction. You say doing so is mean. It's immoral. And one day you may be the unfortunate one.
What are you seeing of people when they're responding to folks who have died from Covid who are, say, vaccine deniers?
MARTIN: Well, I think it's a minority reaction, but sometimes online we see people reacting with glee and then sometimes even trolling their survivors and, you know, trying to make it even worse for them. But, you know, it's a sad situation and I think it really does warp our soul if we take delight in someone else's misfortunes.
You know, for the Christian, it's the opposite of what we're supposed to do.
[08:50:02]
We're not supposed to celebrate when our enemies, you know, have misery. We're supposed to pray for them and try to love them as much as possible.
KEILAR: So how do you, in your view, make strides towards convincing someone, get the vaccine, an act of love, as the pope called it, instead of facing death, instead of robbing those around them, their loved ones, of a father, or a mother, or a child?
MARTIN: That's a very good question. I mean, I think if I had the answer, I'd be like a zillionaire now because it's something people are struggling with. But I think one thing to say is that it's not just about you, right? I mean you may have this decision that it's not right for you, and you have this idea that it's not -- it's going to impinge on your freedom. But it's not just about you. It's about the common good too. It's about -- it's about protecting other people as well.
So, you know, it's a very other directed thing. And I think, unfortunately, we have been sort of mired in this rights sort of vocabulary, rather than thinking about the common good, thinking about other people.
KEILAR: They're -- you know, when we talk to people who did not want to get the vaccine and then decided they were going to do it because they didn't want to leave their family members without their loved one, a lot of them saw people like themselves die who had made this choice. And learning of that actually helped them make a decision, because they saw themselves in someone who made a choice that, in the end, ended up killing them.
That's a different thing, though, than people, you know, than highlighting a story and poking fun at it because someone did not do what they needed to do to preserve their life.
MARTIN: That's right. And the situation you're describing is a kind of conversion. And I think what happens is, you know, it's stories and encounters with people, you know, in our lives that really have the power to convert us. I think much more than arguments and debates and things like that. So, when those things happen, I mean, I think people's hearts are moved and they change, which is all for the good.
KEILAR: Yes. Listening to these stories of these transplant patients, my heart breaks. I just think of their loved ones who may be without them. And it is -- it's very -- it's hard to watch. It's hard to imagine.
Father James Martin, thank you for being with us.
MARTIN: My pleasure. KEILAR: Some absolutely chilling dash cam video. What happened after
this driver opened fire in this extreme case of road rage?
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[08:56:43]
BERMAN: A chilling road rage incident in Florida caught on camera. A driver opens fire at another car while traveling on a busy interstate.
CNN's Alexandra Field joins us with this stunning video.
This is horrifying.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, John. And the video actually shows the tensions mounting between the two drivers. But then there is this very jarring tipping point. At one point you see one of the drivers reaching for a gun. Then he gets off almost a dozen shots on a busy interstate.
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FIELD (voice over): Miami-Dade Florida, back in June of 2021. This is Eric Michael Phillip Popper driving on Interstate 95 south during a morning rush hour.
ERIC MICHAEL PHILLIP POPPER: Oh, my God.
FIELD: And recording his actions with a dash cam. His lawyer provided the chilling video to CNN. It shows him shifting lanes. An arrest affidavit shows he cut off another driver, Rene Suarez, who honked.
Popper then abruptly braked and Suarez responded by gesturing and tailgating for a short period, according to two Florida highway patrol arrest affidavits, all while Popper removed a weapon from the center console of his black SUV.
According to the affidavits, when the other driver pulled up next to him with a rolled down window and threw something at Popper's car. Popper began firing through his right front passenger door. Before his pistol was silent, Popper had fired a total of 11 shots. Video shows him calmly pulls over, and then calling police.
POPPER: I was just shot at. My car was hit. I returned fire back at the individual.
FIELD: But according to the criminal complaint against Popper, Suarez was not armed. Another video taken by a public bus appears to show a dark object falling away between two vehicles. Suarez's arrest affidavit alleges that an object thrown by him struck and damaged the rear passenger side of Popper's vehicle. Suarez has been charged with criminal mischief.
While no one was injured, both cars were riddled with bullet holes, one from the inside and one from the outside. Eric Popper is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit a felony and hooting into a vehicle. His lawyer says his is pleading not guilty and claiming self-defense.
The other man, Suarez, has also entered a not guilty plea. CNN has reached out to his lawyer for comment.
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FIELD: Both of those drivers do have upcoming court appearances. Popper, the man seen in that video, could face up to 15 years in prison on felony charges.
John.
BERMAN: Holy cow. Right?
FIELD: That's hard (ph).
BERMAN: Holy cow. Put on some soothing music. They are so lucky. They are so lucky that someone was not hurt there.
FIELD: Both of them.
BERMAN: All right, Alexandra Field, thank you so much. That is just shocking.
KEILAR: It's also an example, in this particular case, of someone who is holding a gun and then that becomes the solution to whatever the problem is, right, when, if they had just gone on their different directions, it would have been the other person in the wrong, obviously. It's -- they are lucky.
BERMAN: There was a time in my life when I thought it was funny when you were driving occasionally to like shake your fist angrily at other drivers. And my wife's like, you can't do that.
[09:00:01]
You can't do that. It's dangerous.
KEILAR: You can't. No. I also just say, wow, that real -- they must be really having a hard time and I just go about my merry way, but --
BERMAN: That's why you put -- you put on the Grateful Dead and it's all much better when you're driving.
KEILAR: Yes.
BERMAN: CNN's coverage continues right now.
